Faith-based film 'A Girl. A Boy. A Dream.' recently made its grand debut at the Sundance Film Festival, with a little help from local film producer, Jash'd Belcher. As we aspire towards unity as a nation, "we need more love and things to inspire us to be our greatest," explains Belcher. This film sets out to enact just that.
Feeling energized after the recent announcement of their $150,000 grant from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Executive Director of the Latino Business and Economic Development Center Carlos Sanchez and his team are ready to put the foundation's 'Fund for Community Good' to good work.
Over the years we've been conditioned to only share the highlight reels of our life on social media; We don’t show each other the framework behind the success. "But each of those stories is a series of months—even years—of self doubt, anger, and so on." reflects Heather Colletto, Founder of ServeGR, who recently shared her very own story of Context with CreativeMornings GR.
Ever since the launch of GR Makers in 2013, Casey DuBois has been carving a path for GR's innovation community. As a self-proclaimed "connector," he emphasizes to his peers that want to built upon their skill set, "you may not be able to develop the skills yourself, but you can connect with people who can help you with it."
Nanette Nunu is not only a young African American professional, but a natural hair enthusiast. When she's not working her nine-to-five job, you will find her in front of her video camera providing beauty tips and tricks for her "Curlfriends" and subtly providing insight to her life in a city where she admits "I find myself counting, on one hand usually, the number of people of color in any environment I find myself in."
It's been over a year since we last chatted with aspiring cat cafe owner, Kati Palmukar. After struggling to obtain sufficient funds from her Kickstarter campaign, she managed to press on with help from her family and friends. As of August 17, 2017, Happy Cat Cafe became the first and only cat cafe within West Michigan.
"Be confident enough to accept your faults. No one is good at everything," reflects co-owner of the popular lash lounge and brow bar, Siren & Proper, Christina Lynn Perez. As someone who fears failure, but also finds joy in doing things that aren't expected of her, Christina made the bold choice of going into business for herself in 2015. She knew she would be letting the grass grow under her feet, otherwise.
Back in 2002, New Zealand native, Lance Hohaia, catapulted into his professional rugby career at the early age of 19. Since his retirement (nearly three years ago), his transition back into the "real world" has come with its own unique set of ups and downs. Thankfully for him, his journey back to Grand Rapids with his family is proving to be a positive one.
"How do I distinguish myself in a saturated market?" Unfortunately, there will never be a one-size-fits-all solution to this ever- evolving writing dilemma. Of course, there are ways you can set yourself up for success none the less. Junior Copywriter at The Image Shoppe, Natalie Topalian speaks to some of ways she has been able to cut through the clutter and assert herself as a cheeky young writer.
As we round out Pride Month, LGBTQ+ activist, Benjamin Heyn, reflects on the opportunities he's been given over the years and how he is using those as a force for good. Within in part-two of our Q&A conversation, we celebrate #PRIDE and the organizations within our community whose noble purpose revolve around that notion.
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